New life at historic Homestead

An egg-shaped bird feeder, a water pump, a rope swing and barnyard animals are just a few of the things Bailey Miller liked most about last Thursday's art and flea market at the Eidem Homestead in Brooklyn Park.

The 8-year-old is so enthusiastic about the farm that she would like to persuade her parents to move there. In fact, she's already picked out her bedroom in the Victorian house. "I like the whole farm," she said, adding, "I really love old-fashioned things."

The quaint backdrop of the restored 1870s landmark, where the Eiden family once grew potatoes, is one unique aspect of the new weekly market, called "Homespun on the Homestead." It's happening every Thursday this summer at the farm through Sept. 1.

The homestead sale focuses on handmade goods, ranging from all-natural granola to aromatherapy soaps. It also features live music and self-guided tours of the grounds, with costumed interpreters on hand, plus various family-oriented activities.

Each week's market will have a theme built around some part of the farm's history. For last week's opening, for example, it was a 1900s family music theme. An old-time jug band played a couple of sets, while another performer who goes by "Ms. Catherine" (Catherine Plantenberg), showed how something like a box of oatmeal and other ordinary household items can become musical instruments.

At a craft table, families made tambourines out of paper plates and pinto beans. The goats, sheep, chickens and ducks also seemed to chime into the musical theme, making noise in the background every now and then.

Upcoming weekly themes will revolve around such things as bread-making, vintage fashion and farm animals.

Pat Busch, a program coordinator for the city of Brooklyn Park, said she hopes the market helps provide a tangible link to the past. In coming up with ideas for the market, she said, "We really wanted to create a special niche about what people are loving about the past."

Further, the market seems to fit in with a larger trend in which "people are trying to go back to some of these old-fashioned processes, trying to do what's right for the environment," she said.

It's that educational angle that makes the events most valuable, she said. "We felt strongly about how people did things in the early 1900s. They didn't just go to the sink and turn the water on."

One of the market's vendors, potter William Cook, who works out of his St. Paul studio, agreed. "It's a good experience, getting to see the roots of America," said Cook, who sat beside a colorful spread of his cups, bowls, vases and trays.

As someone who makes artistic yet functional objects, he's a believer in the market's handmade ethos. He also likes the face-to-face transactions that take place, saying they made things more personal for buyer and seller alike. "It has a good energy, I like doing it this way," he said.